Bottle-stopper.



No. 67l,309. 1 Patented Apr. 2, I90l. W. J. CUNNINGHAM.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

(A ylication filed July 26, 1900.)

(No Model.)

sawenl'o are rare.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

FSFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,309, dated April 2, 1901.

Application filed July 26, 1900. Serial No. 24,863. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. CUNNING- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers,which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accom panying drawings.

My invention consists of a bottle-stopper comprising a head, an arm thereon, an elastic or flexible plu g, with which said head is adapted to be connected, and a resilient tongue, said tongue being interposed between said plug and head and adapted to partly enter the latter, whereby the bail of the closing mechanism is adapted to firmly compress the plug, so as to form a hermetical joint with the mouth of a bottle, and when the stopper is opened it remains engaged with said bail, while being capable of being disconnected therefrom when so desired, the arm of the head also providing ready means for connecting the stopper with the head of a bottlingmachine.

Figures 1 and 2 represent side elevations of a bottle-stopper embodying my invention. Figs. 3 and 4 represent vertical sections thereof. Figs. 5 and 6 represent perspective views of detached portions. Fig. 7 represents a vertical section of a detached portion.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondiug parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a plug or stopper proper formed, preferably, of soft rubber and adapted to enter the mouth of a bottle and having a flange B, which closes against the top edge of said mouth.

C designates what may be termed a button, the same being formed of the head D, the shank E, and flange F, the head D having a slot G therein, the same extending inwardly from the periphery thereof. The shankE has a vertical slot H therein,*the slot G of the head D being in communication therewith.

The flange F and shank E are embedded in the plug A, leaving the-head D above or outside of the same. On the head D is the arm J, of elbow shape, the upper or horizontal arm K of which overhangs the slot G and is raised above the same.

L designates a rim or annulus which is formed with a tongue M, projecting inwardly from the annulus and having at its end the shoulder N, which in the present case is formed by turning up portions of the metal or material at the side of said tongue, it being noticed that the annulus, tongue, and shoulder are integral, and the tongue is elastic, it

being adapted to yield in downward direction by the action of the bail P of the stopperclosing mechanism, as will be hereinafter described.

The annulus L is located on the shank E, and the shoulder N and adjacent portions of the tongue M occupy the slot G of the head D, it being noticed that said parts N and M are introduced into position through the slot H of the shank, and the opening or interior space of the annulus receives the said shank,

the parts now being assembled for operation,

it being noticed that a space Q exists between the inner side of the shoulder N and the adjacent portion of the arm K. The plug is presented to the cross-bar of the bail P, so as to enter between the shoulder N and the adjacent end of the arm K, pressure being exerted to direct said cross-bar into the space Q. The shoulder N then yields to'allow the crossbar to pass the same and so reach said space, when the tongue returns to its normal position, guarding the cross-bar from disconnection from the stopper. The bail is now raised to full extent and the stopperinserted in the mouth of the bottle, when the bail is tightened by the attached member of the bail, as usual in bottling, when the cross-bar exerts a downward pressure on the head D, and consequently on the annulus L, whereby the plug A is compressed and expanded and so tightened in the mouth of the bottle as to form a reliable hermetical joint. When the bail is released, the stopper may be raised and thrown back, as usual in such cases, thus opening the bottle while the stopper remains connected with the bail; but the head may be removed from the bail by moving the bail, say, to the left or the stopper to the right, whereby the bail leaves the space Q and rides over the shoulder-N, depressing the same, and so clears said shoulder and the arm K, the effect of which is evident.

The arm K is adapted to enter a recess R in the head S of a bottling apparatus, the sides of the head and walls of said recess bein g inc1ined,for1ning a dovetailed joint, whereby the stopper may be nicely fitted to said head as a carrier, and so conveyed to the mouth of the bottle, it being afterward conveniently disconnected from said head.

The front face of the arm K is beveled or sloping or may be rounded, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 7, so asto be set back in the direction from the top inwardly, so that when the bail contacts with said face it rides down the same to the upper side of the shoulder N, and thus unfailingly depresses said shoulder, so that the passage of the bail over the same is easily and reliably eifected to open the entrance to the space Q, and said shoulder afterward returns to its normal position, efiectively closing said space.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bottle-stopper a head, an elevated arm thereon, a resilient tongue occupying a portion of said head, an annulus carrying said tongue said head having a shank which is adapted to be secured to the elastic or flexible plug of the stopper said an nulus freely en: circling said shank.

2. In a bottle-stopper, a head, an elevated arm thereon, a resilient tongue in said head, an annulus carrying said tongue and ashoulder rising from said tongue beneath said arm, said annulus being interposed between said head and the plug of the stopper.

3. In a bottle-stopper, a slotted head, a shank carrying said head and provided with means thereon for connecting it with a plug of the stopper, an annulus fitted on said shank, a resilient tongue projecting from said annulus into the slot of said head and an arm on said head overhanging said tongue.

4. In a bottle-stopper, a slotted head, aslotted shank and a flange, said head and flange being opposite the ends of said shank and said flange being adaptedto be connected with a plug of the stopper, an annulus which is fitted on said shank, a resilient tongue on said annulus in the slots of the shank and head, and a shoulder on said tongue in the slot of said head.

5. In a bottle-stopper, an annulus, a resilr ent tongue thereon and a shoulder on said tongue, said annulus being adapted to be interposed between the head of the stopper and the plug thereof, said annulus, tongue and shoulder being integral.

WILLIAM J. CUNNINGHAM.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, WM. OANER WIEDERSHEIM. 

